High School Football: Martin County happy with go-for-broke play vs. Cobras

STUART - Martin County coach Chuck Kenyon subscribes to Albert Einstein's definition that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

So Kenyon decided the Tigers would do some different things against Fort Pierce Central in the Region 3-7A semifinal Friday, including attempting three onside kicks and going for it on fourth down multiple times.

Unfortunately, Martin County got the same result as it had in the previous six meetings — a Central win; this time the Cobras won 40-14.

"You've got to believe and give yourselves a chance," Kenyon said. "You have to give yourselves a chance. We weren't even supposed to be there. We were playing with house money, so I said, 'Let's do what we can do.' If you keep doing the same thing and you keep getting the same result, you've got to switch it up. We weren't going to switch up our overall identity, which is trying to run the ball, but we did try some different things.

"They never gave up. They were up two scores in the fourth quarter (Central led 26-14 with less than 11 minutes remaining) and we were still plugging along. If the football gods were looking down favorably, we get a stop or a turnover or a quick touchdown, we would have tried an onside kick again. It just didn't come to be."

Martin County tried three consecutive onside kicks in a 4 minute, 38 second-span, including one after Jermohn Queen's 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to cut Central's lead to 20-14. It was the first time Martin County scored more than one touchdown against Central since 2010.

Central recovered the first and third onside kicks, but Kenyon doesn't have any regrets.

"When good things start happening to you, some players get nervous," Kenyon said. "Not everybody, but some guys might say, 'Oh man, I hope he doesn't kick it to me.' That's what we were hoping for. If we would have scored again, we definitely would have had another onside kick."

Game-changing bounce: Central receiver Josh Knight's 24-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter gave the Cobras a 33-14 lead, but the play easily could have had a much different outcome.

Central quarterback Sam Vaughn threw the ball to Knight, who was running a slant route, but Martin County defensive back Nate Simmons jumped the route and nearly picked off the pass.

"If he would have intercepted that pass, he would have (a) pick-six," Knight said. "He didn't have anyone in front of him."

Instead of coming up with the interception, the ball bounced off Simmons' helmet and into the hands of Knight, who never even broke stride and scored easily. Had the play turned out differently, Martin County could have pulled to within six points.

"I knew it was over when that happened," Kenyon said. "Don't get me wrong, they're a good team that makes a lot of good things happen, but that was a tough bounce."

QUOTABLE"We plan to put in a few more things (in the passing game)," Kenyon said of Martin County's offense next season. "We don't want to throw just because everybody's throwing. What we do will be predicated on who's coming back and how we block certain things."